Valve control head



Aug. 14, 1951 A. E. RElcHARD VALVE CONTROL HEAD Filed Dec. 2l, 1945 2sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORN EY Aug. 14, 1951 A. E. REICHARD 2,563,868

. VALVE CONTROL HEAD Filed Dec. 2l, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY Patented Aug. l4, 1951 VALVE CONTROL HEAD Arthur E. Reichard,North Arlington, N. J., as-

signor' to Specialties Development Corporation, Bloomfield, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey Application December 21, 1945, Serial No.636,425

12 Claims.

This invention relates to valve control means, and particularly to meansproviding individual local control and remote control for one or aplur'ality of valves.

AI'n extinguishing and preventing rires, and for other purposes, it hasbeen usual to dispense a fluid' medium, such as carbon dioxide, underpressre from a storage Container or containers, each provided with a;valve for controlling the release of the medium through conduit meansfor con-V ducting the uid to the point or points ci use. lt has alsobeen usual toV effect the control at the containers, and from remotepositions as by rods. cables and the like.

Valves for effecting the above-mentioned control may each comprise anormally closed piston operated main valve, and 1provided with a unitfor operating a pilot valve for controlling the Huid medium to actuatethe piston for opening th'e main valve. The present invention is morespeciifioally directed to control means for such valves.

IAccordingly, an object of the invention is to provide novel controlmeans for opening and closiig a fluid? passage.

n'o'ther object is to provide control means adapted for individual localand remote operation adapted for remote operation in cooperation Withother'lilie contfol means'.

A' further' object is to provide control means which are simple anddurable in construction, economical to manufacture, and eliective intheir operation.

Other and further objects of the invention will be' obvious upon anunderstanding of the illus-y trativewembodiment to be described or Willbe indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referredto herein will occur to one skilled in the art upony employment of 'theinvention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of the specification whereinz' Figure l is a sectionalview, with certain parts shown in elevation, illustrating a .controlhead constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a view partially in end elevation' as seen from the right ofFigure 1, and partially in section substantially along' the line 3-3 oiFig`- ure 1.

Referring to the drawings, a valve casing l] issh'own in Figure 1 onwhich a control head l2 of the invention is detachably mounted. Thevalve casing contains a main valve operated by a piston (not shownherein) which is controlled by a pilot valve member I4 normally heldagainst a valve seat it to close a duct i8 through which a pressuremedium may be conducted from a container operatively attached to thecasing i8, and through the casing I0 to the pressure side of the pistonfor operating the main valve. A valve of this type is shown in Figure 3of United States Letters Patent No. 2,383,961. The pilot valve member I4is provided with a short stem 2U projecting into a compartment 22 formedby a screwn threaded cylindrical portion 24 of the casing I forriounting the control headV l2.

The control head !2 comprises a housing 2S of substantially T-shapehaving a leg 2B provided with' a constricted end portion 39 extendinginto th'e cylindrical mounting portion 2'4. A coupling nut 32 isthreaded to the outer side of the mountingV portion 2a and provided witha wire 34 in annular recesses of the nut and the leg 28 provid'ng foradjustment of the housing 2G at any angle about the axis of the portion24.

The housing 25 has a T-cross portion 36.constructed of separable Lipperand lower' casing members 38 and 40, respectively, of substantiallychannel or hollow shape, divided along a plane designated by a line @2and together forming registering open end walls 44 and 46. Screws 46 inthe end wall 64 and screws 5E! in the end wall 46 are swivel mounted,and held, as by rings 52, against withdrawal from the member d whendetached from the member 33. w

Complemental grooves 54, in the end wall 44 hold a closure disc 5S, andsimilar grooves 58, in the end wall 46 hold a ring nut 6E] into which aconduit 62 is threadedly secured.

A plunger 64, in aligned axial bores EB and 68 of the leg 2S has a head'lo in the portion 36, and a flange 'l2 stopping the plunger in itsupward movement against a pin 14 in the leg 28. A spring 'i8 for biasingthe plunger against the pin- 'I4 extends .between the flange and a shoulder I6 at the lower end of the bore 66. The plunger has a groove 80 inthe bore 68 for receiving a packing ring 82, and has an axial passage 84provided with forked branches 86 stradu dling a reduced end 88 of theplunger for engagement with the stem 28 or the pilot valve member I4.

A lever 90 in the member 40 is pivoted by a pin 92 between side wallpivot supports 94 near the end wall 44, and normally extends diagonallyrelative to the portion 36 to a 'free end 96 near the end wall 45. Aboss 98, at the underside oi the lever 90 overl the plunger head l0, hasa recess in which a closure member or disc is held, as by a peened edge|92 of the boss 98. The surface of the head 'I0 engaged by the disc |00is rounded, sothat the disc which in the open position thereof relativeto the passage 84, is tilted relative to the passage, moves on the headto closed position substantially normal to the passage.

A wheeled carriage |66 comprises a body block |08 having axially alignedopposite-side trunnions IIO (Figure 3) on which are mounted two pairs ofwheels I I2 and I 4 each having its wheels at opposite sides of theblock. The wheels |I2 roll on the lever 90, and the wheels II4 roll onthe underside. of a top wall II6 of the upper member 38.

A cable IIB, disposed in an axial bore of the carriage block |08 andsecured thereto, as by screws |20, extends through the conduit 62 toremote cable pulling means, or through one or more heads like the headII2 to such pulling means.

The top wall Ii has an aperture |22 between one end thereof and anupwardly oi'set wall portion |24 constituting a continuation of the wallIIB. A pivot pin |26 is disposed in the aperture |22 and mounted inbosses |28 on the top of the upper member 38.

A local control lever |30 pivotally mounted by the pin |26 has a forkedinner arm |32 for straddling the cable IIE, and outer arm |34 having anaperture forthe reception of a locking pin |36 which also extendsthrough apertures in the bosses |28. A hole |38 in the outer arm |34 isadapted to receive a usual seal wire |39.

The outer arm |34 further comprises a ring portion |40 for lifting thelever from above the housing I2, and portions |42 projecting axially ofthe ring oppositely therefrom to position beyond the sides of theT-cross portion 36 for assisting in such lifting or for pulling orpushing the lever upwardly from either side of the housing I2.

The closure disc 56 is employed where the control head I2 is the onlyhead for, or the remote head of a series of like heads from, the remotecontrol means.

With the disc 56, the carriage |06, the cable II8, the ring nut 60, theconduit 62, and the upper member 38, together with the lever I 30 andother parts on the upper member, removed, the cable IIB and the carriage|06 are rst mounted in the position shown, and adjusted relative to thelever 90 unhampered =by the upper member 38. If the head I2 is to beother than the remote head, the cable I I8 will be continued through theopen end 44, and the disc 56 not employed. If the Vhead is the remotehead, the disc 56 is placed in the groove 54 of the lower member 40, andin either event, the conduit 62 and the ring nut 60 are placed in thegroove 58 of the lower member 40. The upper member 38 and the partscarried thereby are next placed in the positions shown, and the member38 is secured to the lower member 40 by the screws 48 and 50.

In operation by remote control, when the cable I I8 is pulled towardsthe right, as viewed in Figure 1, the carriage is pulled, with itswheels II2 riding on the lever and its wheels II4 rolling on the wall II6, thus depressing the lever 00 about the axis of its pivot pin 92until the wheels I I2 approximately reach a bump |44 on the lever.During this action, the disc member |00 moves from its tilted openposition relative to the passage 84, as shown, to a substantiallyhorizontal position in which it is disposed over the passage 84 closingthe latter. At the same time the lever moves the plunger 64 downwardlyuntil its reduced end 88 engages the stem 20 to unseat the pilot valvemember I4.

In locally operating the head I2, the outer arm |34 is raised, in any ofthe ways above mentioned, whereby it pivots about the axis of the pin|26 and moves the inner arm |32 downward to straddle the cable I I8 andengage the lever 90 to depress it as in the case where the carriage |06is moved to the right. In such operation, the lever |30 may be movedabout ninety-five degrees from its full line position to its broken lineposition of Figure l, in which it abuts the wall portion |24 forpreventing upward movement of the lever 90 under the pressure of thespring 'I8 and of the uid.

With the passage 84 thus closed, fluid medium is released by the pilotvalve member I4 tothe compartment 22 and from the latter through theduct I8 to the pressure side of the piston which actuates the main valveto release the fluid `to be lever 90 is released and pivots upwardlyunder the influence of the plunger 94 biased upwardly by its spring 18.Such movement of the plunger permits the pilot valve member I4 to engageits seat and shut off the flow of medium to the chamber 22, at the sametime the closure disc |00 is so positioned that the plunger passage 84is open, whereby pressure in back of the main valve operating piston isvented to the atmosphere by way of the duct I8, chamber 22 and passage84, permitting the mainvalve to close.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that a novel control headhas been provided wherein the disc |00 and the passage 84 are combinedin novel manner with other elements for effecting unseating and seatingoperation of the pilot valve member I4 in a mannerto control the openingand closing of the main valve. The construction and operation of thecontrol head are simple and effective, and have many advantages overformer structures.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacricing any of its advantages, lit is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative`and not in any limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all the generic and speco features of the invention hereindescribed,

and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter oflanguage, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. In a valve control assembly, the combination of a valve, a valveactuating plunger biased lengitudiiially away from the valve having afluid passage extending axially therein, and a pivoted operating levercarrying closure means for one end of the passage adapted to be actuatedto move the plunger against said bias btween a passage-open positionwith the closure means tilted relative to the passage to permit ventingof the valve control assembly and a closed position to prevent theescape of fluid through the passage.

2. In a valve control assembly, the combination of a valve, a valveactuating plunger biased longitudinally away from the valve and having afluid passage extending axially therein, a pivoted operating levercarrying closure means for one end of the passage adapted to be actuatedto move the plunger against said bias between a passage-open positionwith the closure means tilted relative to the passage to permit ventingof the valve control assembly and a closed position to prevent theescape of fluid through the passage, and a pivoted member for operatingsaid lever to actuate the plunger.

3. In a valve control assembly having an inlet and an outlet, thecombination of a valve for controlling the ow of duid between the inletand outlet, an actuating plunger for opening the valve biasedlongitudinally away from the valve and having a fluid passage therein,closure means for one end of the passage adapted to move the plungeragainst said bias between a passage-open position with the closure meanstilted relative to said passage to permit venting of the valve controlassembly and a passage-closed position to prevent the escape of fluidthrough the passage when the valve is opened, and remote control meansincluding a pull cable for actuating said closure means.

4. In a valve control assembly having an inlet and an outlet, thecombination of a valve for controlling the flow of fluid between theinlet and outlet, an actuating plunger for opening the valve having anaxial duid passage, a pivoted operating lever for the plunger carryingclosure means for one end of said passage normally in passage-openposition with the closure means tilted relative to said passage topermit venting of the valve control assembly and the closure means beingresponsive to operation of the lever actuating the plunger for movementfrom the said tilted position to a passage-closed position to preventthe escape of fluid through the passage when the valve is opened, andmanually operable means for said lever.

5. In a valve control assembly for a piston operated main dischargevalve for controlling the flow of fluid medium under pressure from itssource, the combination of a pilot valve operable to direct the fluid tothe pressure side of the piston to open the main discharge valve, aplunger for opening the pilot valve, said plunger having a fluid passagetherein providing communication between the pressure side of the pistonand the atmosphere, tiltable means operable to move the plunger tounseat the pilot valve and to close said passage to prevent the escapeof fluid therethrough when the pilot valve is unseated, and means forreturning said plunger to a passageopen position, whereby to vent thepressure side 6 of the piston t the atmosphere, and means for operatingsaid tiltable means.

6. In a valve control assembly for a piston operated main dischargevalve for controlling the flow of fluid medium under pressure from itssource, the combination of a pilot valve operable to direct the fluid tothe pressure side of the piston to open the main discharge valve, aplunger for opening the pilot valve, said plunger having a fluid passagetherein providing communication between the pressure side of the pistonand the atmoshpere, tiltable means operable to move the plunger tounseat the pilot valve and to close said passage to prevent the escapeof fluid therel through when the pilot valve is unseated, and

means movable along said tiltable means for operating the latter means.

7. In a valve control assembly for a piston operated main dis-chargevalve for controlling the flow of iluid medium under pressure from itssource, the combination of a pilot valve operable to direct the fluid tothe pressure side of the piston to open the main discharge valve, aplunger for opening the pilot valve, said plunger having a fluid passagetherein providing communication between the pressure side of the pistonand the atmosphere, tiltable means operable to move the plunger tounseat the pilot valve and to close said passage to prevent the escapeof fluid therethrough when the pilot valve is unseated, and pivotallymounted manually operable means for operating said tiltable means.

8. In a valve control assembly, the combination of a valve casing havinga uid conducting passage provided with an inlet, an outlet and a valveport between said inlet and outlet, a valve member for closing saidport, a plunger movable to engage and effect unseating of said valvemember having a passage extending therethrough for establishingcommunication between said outlet and the atmosphere when said plungeris in a position so that unseating of said valve member is not eiected,means operable to engage and move said plunger to effect unseatingofsaid valve member having a portion for sealing said plunger passage toprevent communication lbetween said outlet and the atmosphere, andresilient means arranged for normally urging said plunger out of valvemember engaging position.

9. A valve control assembly according to claim 8, wherein said meansoperable to engage and move said plunger include a pivotally mountedelement.

10. In a valve control assembly, the combination of a body including ahousing and a bore extending to the interior of said housing, avalvemember unseating plunger in said bore having one end positioned in saidhousing, a lever having one end pivotally mounted in said housing at oneside of said bore and extending across said plunger to engage the same,and a second lever pivotally mounted on said housing at the other sideof said bore, said second lever having an arm positioned in said housingfor engaging the end of said first lever opposite the pivoted end andhaving an arm at the exterior of said housing adapted for manualengagement.

1l. In a valve control assembly, the combination of a valve operatingplunger, a track pivoted at one end thereof for movement to actuate saidplunger, a stationary track opposite said pivoted track and spacedtherefrom, carriage means positioned for movement between said tracks totilt said pivoted track whereby said plunger is actuated, an elongatedelement connected to said carriage extending between said tracks formoving said carriage, and a manually operable lever pivotally mountedadjacent said stationary track and adjacent the end opposite the pivotedend of said rst mentioned track, said lever having means constructed andarranged to be normally positioned with respect to said stationary trackso as not to interfere with movement of said carn riage between saidtracks and to be positioned to engage said pivoted track to tilt thesame without being interfered With by said elongated element.

12. A valve control assembly according to claim 11, wherein said levermeans are a pair of spaced 15 2,412,613

iingers between which said elongated element extends. I A Y ARTHUR E.REICHARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 312,724 Jarboe Feb. 24, 18852,072,577 Allen Mar. 2, 1937 2,243,581 Smith May 27, 1941 2,386,210Grant Oct. 9, 1945 Grant, Jr Dec. 17, 1946'l

